Janie's Fear
I think Janie’s fear was being in a loveless marriage and never finding true love making her lonely. In her first two marriages, she was always looking for more and trying to live up to her ideal of a perfect marriage with true love. She finally fits her ideal marriage with Teacake and discovers what real love feels like for the first time. Her new fear begins which is losing that feeling of love and her beloved which becomes a reality when Teacake dies in the storm. She is devastated but is able to get through it knowing she has experienced true love and has found her own voice.
Jody's Fear
I think Jody’s fear was losing all the power and respect he had worked hard to earn. He was always trying to keep up his reputation as mayor even if it meant belittling Janie in front of others. Jody only feels content and secure when he believes he holds the most power over everyone else around him. He does everything he can to make sure he stays in power and keeps up this illusion of his dominance to others. When he felt threatened by Janie embarrassing him, he retaliated by slapping her in front of everyone. With Janie standing up to him, Jody feels weakened thus destroying his will to live.